Pack Mentality
by harrishawksuperiour
Summary: Ilum. Home to the Jedi Crystal Caves and now the proposed new base for the First Order. But the terrain turns out to be far more brutal than Starkiller. Stormtroopers are freezing to death out on scouting missions. It looks like General Hux will have to abandon the planet until a pack of stranded but adapted Quohr and their human alpha are found.
1. Chapter 1 - Alpha Female

Starkiller Base was a loss. A massive loss. Billions upon billions of units wasted. Yes, the Republic was gone but at what cost? The Resistance had rallied against all odds and bombarded the oscillator with everything they had. And it worked. The sophistication and (almost) flawless design of the machine had been no match for the diligence and dedication of the Resistance pilots and a small team of rescuers who had braved the facility to drop the shields and save a friend. They had been successful. Yes, there had been huge casualties and grievous losses on both sides.

Nonetheless, celebrations erupted across the galaxy. The mourning soon followed. But pieces needed to be picked up and lives needed to be resumed. The threat of each other had not yet been extinguished and one could not exist while the other survived. They both lay in wait, both sides plotting, replenishing and waiting for their nemesis to make a move but one was in significantly better condition than the other. It would take units, resources, commitment and loyalty on both sides before they faced each other on an undisclosed battlefield again.

It was borderline career slaughtering for the General involved but he had clawed himself back from the brink in a way that a weaker individual would not be able to do. With his lean frame and …..luminous hair, he needed a thick skin. This thick skin (curtesy of the academy) was of no greater help to him then it was following the explosion. How they had escaped the planet, General Hux still didn't know. He put it down to his own exceptional piloting skills while Ren groaned and whimpered in the background. As much disdain as he had for the dark Jedi, Hux had to admit he was impressed with his survival skills.

Or it could have been that Ren was holding on out of pure spite, it was hard to tell. The medic deduced a blaster wound to the side, several lightsaber burns (nothing more than second degree but still) and marginal frostbite. It seemed that no matter how the medics tried, Ren was insistent that the laceration on his face was allowed to scar. His mask was gone; he needed something else. Something else to inspire fear. What better than proof of dedication to the Dark side than a lasting lightsaber gash covering one side of his face?

"Suits you." Hux had commented bleakly while the on board medic stitched him which earned him a vicious look from his colleague. Ren's physical identity was no longer sacred nor would his General let him forget it. It had all started in the holochamber before Leader Snoke when the scavenger girl was brought on board; the absolute peak of Ren's incompetence. The first time the two men had come bare face to face.

With Kylo Ren retrieved and delivered (and Hux's scolding endured), he had no doubt it wouldn't be too long before he saw the Knight again. It was time to start afresh; where the First Order could quietly establish a new base to start rebuilding. This would take strategy, it would take thought and it would take careful and precise planning. No doubt the Resistance had already sought out Skywalker.

It was only a matter of time before he returned with a new cluster of Jedi waiting in the wings and ready to swoop in on the vulnerability of their Imperial counterparts. The First Order had failed to crush them once; they couldn't afford to do it again. The consequences would be dire. Hux had been blessed with a magnificent mind. Would he have made General before thirty four if he hadn't? His mother had always gently told him (she was so softly spoken, one of the things he missed most about her) that he was the cleverest little boy she had ever met.

He put that mind to use over several sleepless nights; pouring through his holopad, database after database, looking for some clue. He had time. A number of Stormtroopers had been evacuated and were waiting on Arkanis for instruction under his father's watchful eye; he assumed Captain Phasma was among them. When he had a solution, the dispatches would be sent. For now, he combed through possible solutions on the tiny ship where Kylo Ren had staged most of his recovery.

Early one morning (or late in the evening?), he found it. It was almost too perfect. He re-read it several times in case sleep deprivation was crippling his vision. It wasn't. It was perfect. It was ingenious. Ilum. 7G of the Ilum System. Two moons. One sun. Sixty six standard hours in a day, they could break that up with their own routine. It was a small enough planet; not even six thousand kilometres in diameter. Manageable. The atmosphere was breathable but the cold would be a hindrance. Nothing they hadn't faced before. There was no population, no government, no official language. The place was an icy wasteland for the taking. Hux sat up to ensure he was actually awake with what he read next. _Crystal caves_. He had to blink a few times and give his head a brief shake.

 _Jedi crystal caves._ That would stop the Jedi in their tracks. If the First Order controlled the planet where they sourced the crystals vital for their primary weapon, they might hesitate to venture there. Not only that but depending on the scarcity of these caves on other planets, there would be reluctance to blow up the planet as had been the fate of Starkiller. He found his solution. Ilum. He'd send a com in the morning but now he could rest. He thought about it in blissful excitement as he drifted off. One sun. Two moons. Breathable. A place sacred to the Jedi. No sentient beings. Except for one.

* * *

 _"Thank fuck."_ Came the relieved breath as the young tauntaun was taken down. It was a miserable sight but necessary. Gods, it was necessary. As humanely as possible, it was dispatched. Nuna snapped its neck and that was that. Make shift snow boots of tauntaun skin crunched their way forward and the alpha's face fell. It had looked like more until she got up close. It was immature, barely adolescent; probably strayed from a herd. It was mostly fluff. It would have to do. They'd been trying for days with nothing to show for it; but it was better than going hungry again.

"Bring it back." Nuna grabbed one end of the carcass and Rok seized the other. The couple always hunted as a pair; it was romantic(?) in a way. It would only take one of them to drag it but Nuna was stubborn and Rok didn't like his mate exerting herself. The constant hissing as the tauntaun was hauled over the snow and icy patches was a welcome sound but deep down, Layna knew it wouldn't be enough.

A pack of thirteen Quohr (including a pregnant female) and herself was going to need more but it just meant trying again tomorrow. A weedy, barely few month old tauntaun wasn't going to cut it. Food was getting scarcer, hunting was getting harder and while the alpha knew it wasn't her fault, she felt responsible for the wellbeing of her pack. Kari especially.

The Quohr were magnificent beasts. Standing six foot to their broad shoulder, their large muscular frame was covered from head to toe in varying shades of thick, shaggy fur from snow white to grey, regardless of age. The hide underneath was damn near impenetrable making them verydifficult to kill. If a bear and a wolf were to have offspring, it would be a Quohr. To someone outside their pack; they were notoriously dangerous. Inside the pack; they were family.

Pack hunters by nature, they mated for life (after a strange courtship process) and the death of a Quohr usually resulted in death for the mate shortly after. They were not native to Ilum. Neither was Layna. They were they only pack on this Godsforsaken rock of a planet; vying for survival on meagre tauntauns against Asharl panthers and Gorgodons. It was a brutal existence but there was little choice. The only other option was to curl up and die and that would mean abandoning the pack which was unthinkable.

They arrived back at the cave camp quicker than she thought; then again maybe she was just so caught up with her own musings that she just didn't feel the time going by. Layna cut a significant portion first and then a little extra sliver which she tucked into her coat. Her hood was kept up and her mask drawn over her mouth and nose (it was essential for preventing frostbite) so only her eyes were visible. Then she made the short trek to see Kari.

Kari was the eldest female. Big and broad like the others, she was grey but her age was nothing to do with her colouring. She had been grey as slate since she was three months old. But this one was different to the others; she was carrying a new member of the pack. Naturally, she had been Layna's priority (and her own mate's) since she started to show signs and every effort for extra food and comfort had been made but under the circumstances, those efforts couldn't really amount to much. With her strength; Kari was fearless, she was strong and she was unstoppable. But like any pregnant female, that was set on the back burner.

"Hey, baby girl." Layna greeted the large Quohr gently as she approached but the worry was obvious in both her voice and her eyes. The Quohr could smell it. Kari didn't lift her head but her sweet brown eyes heightened to the alpha. It was all she could manage. Weak and bordering on starving; she broke Layna's heart.

"Not a great haul today." She broke the bad news and felt her heart sink a little more when she heard the animal sigh. The human sat on the floor, resting against Kari's shoulder for warmth and companionship. The more sizeable portion was laid down for Kari who had it gone in two mouthfuls. Not enough. The other sliver was removed from her coat and handed over; it amounted to another mouthful. Layna would go without.

The pack leader cried again, nuzzled against Kari's shoulder. Not only was she hungry (and Gods she was hungry), that undeniable pricking of failure and defeat was relentless. Her pack was dying in front of her. She was weakening herself by the day. They would be no better off with or without her but she was doing her best. Food was getting rarer; the tauntaun weren't breeding like they should be or maybe they were being overhunted. There was little prey here; mainly predators.

Kari's head inclined subtly (as much as she could) nuzzled Layna in return; a small action of consolation. She had to dry her tears. They could freeze on her face which would result in her having to literally pick them off her skin; she'd bled from it before. Or they would soak into her mask, making it difficult to wear as the moisture froze against her skin; reversing the effect it was supposed to have. Kari gave a small grumble which to anyone else might have sounded like a threat.

"I know." Layna replied quietly with a broken sniffle, lifting a gloved hand to wipe her eyes. "We're trying. But it's not enough. We have to keep looking." Ordinarily when food was short, they would move around and try to exploit other food resources on other pockets on the planet. With Kari's condition, it wasn't fair to move her. Even if she was in her full strength and the rest of the pack were too, Layna doubted the food supplies would be better on any other part of the planet.

A chorus of brutal growls coming from outside the cave ripped her attention from her own sorrow. On her feet in an instant (despite the faintness that starvation brought with it), Layna found herself at the mouth of the cave. The usual suspect was causing trouble.

 _ **"OI!"**_ The alpha roared, adding a gruffness to her voice to exert her dominance over the larger male. Her stride picked up and within seconds she was face to face with the greyish white beast that could have killed her without too much struggle.

 _" **WE'RE ALL HUNGRY!"**_ She bawled at him, grabbing his snout and pulling it down to force his eyes on her's. _**"WE ALL NEED MORE BUT IT'S JUST NOT THERE! WE HAVE TO KEEP TRYING SO GROW UP, TAL! YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE!"**_ She released his nose with force and ignored the quiet grumble that followed the scolding. Layna turned to check on the one he'd picked on.

"You alright?" Myr's ear was nicked but otherwise she appeared to be fine. A familiar, heavy weight collided with Layna's back that nearly sent her tumbling into the snow. "And where the fuck have you been?!" She glowered at the snow white Quohr that looked too happy to see her and she knew she couldn't be cross with him for long. He wasn't the biggest by any means but he more than made up for it in personality.

"Bawawaawaaw." The white animal told her (not unlike a Husky), it must have made sense because her frown was curious.

"Where?" Tyg looked in the direction he'd come from, then she noticed the blood on his otherwise pristine chest; it wasn't his, she would have smelled it. "No wonder you're so chirpy, you've just fucking eaten!" Her mind immediately went to Kari. "How far? Your mom needs it but she can't move." His rumble told her about an hour. "We'll bring back as much as we can."

"I don't see what the big deal is." The conversation had focused on one topic since they left and they were almost there. Keema.

"Muuwaaaaw!" Tyg complained to the female on his back.

"I know Tal's an asshole but that shouldn't stop you." Was her reasoning, blinking to keep the snowflakes off her eyelashes. "She's only his sister; she can go with whoever she wants. And why wouldn't she go with you? Look at you, you handsome bastard!" That seemed to be the resolve Tyg needed. He stopped only a few minutes later and if it hadn't been for the crimson clashing with the white where Tyg had eaten his fill; she would have said he brought her to the wrong place.

However, when she dismounted and took a closer look, it wasn't quite what she'd expected. The brilliant white of the helmets and the armour blended them in almost seamlessly to the arctic landscape around them. They were what she barely remembered were called Stormtroopers. Humans. She wouldn't be eating for a while.

"You didn't kill these, did you?" She turned to ask Tyg who told her he hadn't. Simply removing the helmets was enough evidence to suggest they'd been frozen to death. "We need to get as much of this armour off as we can, the lighter they are the more we can bring back…." Tyg wasn't listening; he was fixated on something else. "Tyg?! Hello?!" Still nothing.

Then she heard it. Something she hadn't heard in twenty years. Engines. A ship. Her instinct was to hide but there was nowhere to go in this ice desert. Instead, the pair just stared. It was a small shuttle, maybe big enough for ten people but it brought with it a sense of foreboding. Something wasn't right. This was bad; very, very bad.

The snow beast started to get angsty, shuffling from foot to foot and giving warning growls to the thing in the sky that just got closer and closer. Tyg didn't know what a ship was. He wasn't born until after theirs crashed. It touched down a few hundred meters away. When the ramp dropped and more Troopers, maybe about eight started to descend; Layna found herself.

"Run." She breathed to her companion but it seemed her mounting caught the attention of a chrome trooper. There was no hesitation in this warrior in raising her weapon and the blast caught Layna clean into the chest. The female hit the ground noiselessly as the stun blast worked its way through her system. They would have been caught eventually. There was nowhere to hide in the expanse of tundra nothingness.

Tyg rounded on the approaching shooter; teeth bared, claws out and hackles raised and snarling in a truly monstrous fashion. He was distracted by the fire of the other Troopers though the blasts seemed to only infuriate him further rather than hurt him. He was drawn away from his pack leader to lunge at the ones shooting while Layna was swept up by the chrome Trooper; no doubt it'd be useful.

By the time Phasma (who had hauled herself out of a trash compactor to visit the frozen hellhole) gave the signal to withdraw, another three Troopers joined the dead ones in the snow. Tyg thundered after them but they were sealed away. The animal thrashed violently against the ship before its take off, howling and bawling viciously as he tore at the metal. The engines roared into life and Tyg was thrown backwards into the white powder where he could only watch helplessly as the ship started back towards the sky; taking Layna with it.


	2. Chapter 2 - Twenty Years

A hand encased in a black leather glove roved over the gouges in the metal and took in the scratches in the paint. Icy blue eyes narrowed at the damage, both confused and a little unnerved. What the hell was capable of that? He stepped back and observed the destruction that was consistent all the way along the shuttle, he couldn't figure it out. Whatever it was, it was big. What few Stormtroopers did survive the scouting missions reported very little life outside. The odd Asharl panther, Wampa and tauntaun from a distance but other than that…. And this was no panther, Wampa or a Gorgodon for that matter.

"And we still don't know what it was?" He addressed the chrome Stormtrooper who watched her superior assess the damage to the ship.

"No, sir. We've been unable to identify it. I have left a description and the databases are still being searched." He turned back to the small ship and touched the metal again almost fretfully.

"How many dead?"

"It killed three, sir. None frozen." Finalizer had been a dark place in the past few weeks. Everything had been coming apart at the seams. The terrain was treacherous, too many Stormtroopers were dying on recon missions and they still hadn't been able to find the crystal caves. It would have killed him to abandon the planet when so many units had been dedicated to the new base on Ilum; it would have been an embarrassment.

The thought of returning to Snoke and informing his master that the planet he had pushed for was no longer viable was unbearable. Or at least; that had been his attitude up until the last recon mission.

When Captain Phasma disembarked carrying a smelly bundle of fur and rags, the General hadn't been sure what to think. The planet was supposed to be unpopulated. Its face was covered and the mask was tight, he was advised by medic that it was best to leave it be. Whatever it was, human or not, it was useful. The cameras in Layna's cell were trained on her as she slowly recovered from the stun blast to the chest. Unknown to her, she had been scanned by a carefully guarded medic to get a better insight into her (or **it** , as she was still being referred to outside the cell) and a translator droid was on standby.

"The scan results are in, General." One of the control staff informed him, causing him to glance to Phasma then follow after the officer.

"What is it?" He asked briskly, arriving in the control room and looking to a monitor where the bundle was slowly coming out of its stupor.

"She's a human female, sir." The General scrutinized the moving bundle with a frown creasing his brow. How?! "About twenty eight years of age" His analyst continued, browsing through the stats the scans had delivered. "Healthy if quite thin…."

"You told me this planet was uninhabited."

"It is, sir." The analyst replied, turning to look at his superior. "She seems to be an exception. Her scans are showing up all sorts of things. Extra layer of fat for heat, a curvature in her spine to sleep curled up…. She's adapted sir."

* * *

Adapted. The word rang in his head as his boots pounded the floor that lead to the holding cells. Maybe she was the key. If she was adapted, if she knew the terrain; she could solve all his problems. If she cooperated, she could be invaluable. He found the cell and when he entered, the smell hit him immediately. Blood, raw meat, general unkemptness. His attention was grabbed by a groan from the pile of white, greying rags on the unsteady, wire bed. Despite the smell, his feet carried him forwards. He could see no hair, no skin; it was nearly impossible to tell she was human, let alone female.

" _Where am I?_ " Her accent was undecipherable and rough. It was choked out of confusion and weakness of the blast still dwindling in her system. So she spoke Galactic Basic? Even better.

"You're aboard a vessel called Finalizer." He had always been remarkably proud of the ship (not quite Starkiller proud but it would always be his first command as General) but it had become a prison.

 _"Finalizer…_ " He dared a few steps closer and the smell only intensified.

"I've been told you're adapted to this terrain, is that correct?" Maybe it was too deep a question for someone who was barely conscious. There was little of her to see but when he peered sideways towards the top of the bed, a pair of soft grey eyes looked back at him; the skin around them was paler than his. The mask (like the rest of her attire) was barely white, bordering on grey and covered her nose and mouth; almost the entirety of her face.

Adapted? Why did he need to know that? Whoever the fuck he was.

 _"Depends who's asking."_ Layna's recovery was slow but with each passing minute, she felt stronger. And more like her brazen self.

"The First Order wants to know." He replied fervently, rather taken aback by her response and her tone. She was hardly in a position to be abrasive. He had straightened up again; he was taller, taller than her and impossibly staunch and rigid. He had a head of fiery red hair the like of which she'd never seen, held back neatly in place. It couldn't possibly have been real. He was pale but not even like her. He just looked…. Unhealthy, exhausted. He was head to toe in black; how did that possibly help his camouflage?! First Order…. It sounded vaguely familiar. Maybe many moons ago, she had heard of it but as a child, it would have been something that she would have been immune to caring about.

"I asked you a question." He reminded her, doing all in his power not to grit his teeth. "Do you know this terrain?" Did he deserve this information? With the more aware Layna became, the more she realized she needed to get out of here. Out of this cell and off this ship. Finally, she conceded.

 _"Yes, I do. Look, buddy….. I have a pack I need to get back to. I really don't have time for this."_ It seemed the weight of the situation had no bearing on her which annoyed him even more.

 **"A pack?!** " He repeated, almost spat it. "A pack of what?! There are more of you?!"

He stepped back a few paces when the bundle started to move with more strength and hauled itself up into (what he assumed was) a sitting position.

 _"Quohr."_ She answered with something of disdain though the word meant nothing to him. _"There's fourteen in the pack, me included."_

"And what attacked my shuttle?!"

 _"That would be Tyg."_

"What's a Tyg?!"

 _"Tyg is his name. He's a Quohr."_

"It killed three of my Stormtroopers!"

 _"Maybe they shouldn't have shot at him then, should they?"_ So not only was she adapted, she had beasts at her disposal. Very valuable indeed.

"What were you doing by the shuttle?"

 _"The shuttle arrived after we did. We were looking for food."_ The pieces started to click together in Hux's head; his mother had been right when she called him clever.

"I can't imagine there's too much food in an environment such as this one?" If he had been able to see her face, he would have seen the dejection and defeat in the features that stayed firmly hidden behind the piece of dirty cloth.

 _"There's not…."_

"And you're feeding fourteen?"

"Fifteen soon." Yes, it was all falling into place. "One of the females is pregnant which is why I need to get back." Hux was not an empathetic or a kind man. Quite the opposite. But he knew what he wanted and how to get it. Her demeanour had changed when the topic turned to food. There it was. His avenue, his leverage.

 _"When was the last time you ate?"_

* * *

 _"We were trying to bring back Stormtrooper remains to the pack. I didn't know what they were until we got there."_ She picked slowly at the meal another white armoured soldier had brought at the redhead's command. She wasn't used to hot food. Or cooked food for that matter. Hunger often didn't allow for such a process. Tauntaun was tauntaun, whether it was cooked or not.

He was more fascinated than he dared let on. She ate with her mask lowered though she had turned to face the wall to do so. He'd tried to catch a glimpse but she'd clearly foreseen it and did what she could to avoid it.

"Do you have a name?" She waited until she had chewed the morsel in her mouth. Normally, she would have answered regardless but she was weighing up her options. Did he need to know her real name? Then again, what did she have to lose by him knowing it?

 _"Layna."_ It seemed like a relatively normal name.

"My analyst tells me you're twenty eight." She stopped chewing the next piece in her mouth.

 _"Am I? You mean to tell me I've been on this Godsforsaken rock for twenty years?"_ The General's face melted into a perplexed frown. Twenty years….

"What do you mean **Am I?!** Surely you know your age?!"

 _"I've been here so long with no way of telling the time, how can you expect me to know my age?"_ That was fair. It worried her somewhat though. It meant her pack was older than expected. It meant Kari was twenty and would soon be enduring labour. It could kill her. And if she died, Sentai would die too.

"You're obviously not native to here."

 _"What gave it away?"_ His lips pursed but he refused to stoop to that level.

"Where are you from?"

 _"I was born on Entooine. My pack is also from Entooine."_ Another polar planet. She was born in the cold, no wonder she had no trouble with the terrain and the climate.

"And how did you end up here?" Layna's tray was set aside and again he tried to catch a look at her face but she had already reapplied her mask.

 _"Ship crashed. We were delivering Quohr pups to a zoological society for a breeding program, I don't remember where. Eight unrelated pups; four male, four female. We crashed about thirty miles from where we camp now. My parents were killed, they were zoologists; in charge of the shipment."_ Again, Hux wasn't personally interested in her history. But the more he knew, the more he had in a bid to control her. So far, he was off to a good start. She was open, maybe more trusting than she should have been.

 _"When they died, I stayed in the ship and lived off the food we'd brought with us. When the pups got too big and the food ran out, we had to move."_ Even he could admit that was probably a daunting undertaking for a child. Especially if his analyst was right and she had just been eight years old. Then again, being born on Entooine probably had its advantages in that circumstance.

"So, if I understand you correctly…." He began, still standing as he had done when he first entered the cell; even through her meal. "From the terrain, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that food is short. Your pack is dwindling…." There was that stab of shame again. Some pack leader you are. "Food is your main concern, correct? Maintaining your pack is your priority?"

 _"In a nutshell, yes."_ Strike while the iron is hot, he told himself. She's valuable; she'll deliver what you want, what you need.

"Well then, I have a proposition for you." Layna's head angled towards him and those grey eyes probed him once more. He couldn't decide if it unsettled him or not. "We, the First Order, will trade you and your pack food in exchange for scouting duties of the terrain. We want to establish a permanent base here. Preferably near to the crystal caves. Too many Stormtroopers have perished but I believe since you've survived here so long, it should be no issue for you."

He wasn't wrong. She knew the planet, she knew it well. And while this didn't sit incredibly well with her (Stormtroopers = Bad. Leader of Stormtroopers = Worse), he was offering her a lifeline. Not just for her but her whole pack. Kari's pup and the ones that could come after it might actually have a chance at a long, happy life. And it all depended on this.

 _"Deal."_ It was almost instantaneous. _"If you can guarantee us raw meat, I'll go wherever you want me to go, find out whatever it is you want me to find out but…. The meat is essential."_

"You have my word." Hux had to try not to seem overly pleased but this was a victory. "I will arrange a shuttle but first, I would like to see your pack." _No buddy. You really don't._


	3. Chapter 3 - Leaders of the Packs

Warmth was scarce, artificial or otherwise. Heat pumped into the cell to render the alpha into a glorious sleep, curled up on the rickety, wire bed as she had been monitored to do out of habit rather than the procurement of heat. The small, captured female slept better than she had in any cave. She was afraid thoughts of her pack would keep her awake but it seemed not to be the case. Exhaustion and a rare full stomach took over.

While she hadn't been afforded many comforts (she was technically still considered to be a prisoner), it was still far more than she was used to. In her waking moments, her mind drifted to them and how this deal would help them. Kari especially and her pup. And the pups that would come after; the third generation and forth and so on. She wondered if she'd started to whelp yet, if Tyg had brought them to collect food so she might survive the birth.

If she didn't; Sentai would die, her pup might die and Tyg would surely never be the same again. Layna was detained for another day cycle. During that time, Stormtroopers were rallied and shuttles were prepared (the one Tyg damaged was in repairs). More scouting briefs were laid out but this time, they would be facing something far more deadly than the cold. Phasma's description of the beast that attacked the shuttle was matched; Hux stared at the image on the database with chilled blood. _Her pack consisted of these?!_

Layna was fed regularly and the General visited her again.

 _"I'm not showering."_ She answered with an almost full mouth of Barve meat and closely followed by Byss cheese, again facing the wall with her mask lowered; her diet (while in First Order custody) was mostly protein and fats. It seemed the General had actually been paying attention to his analyst when he said their guest was thinner than she should be.

"You are not getting on the same shuttle as me smelling the way you do." Layna was tempted to turn around but her mystery would be broken if she did.

 _"My scent will be disrupted!"_

"That's the point." Hux told her callously with an impatient roll of his eyes though curiosity still ate at him.

 _"You don't hunt, do you?"_

"No and soon you won't either." She couldn't argue with that. That was the whole point of the deal; that she and her pack would scout and patrol in exchange for food. It wasn't a bad trade. They'd be doing what they did on a daily basis anyway but instead of food they would be looking for suitable terrain for building. And crystal caves. Whatever those were. Layna chewed her food with irritation, really not wanting to concede. But she needed to get back; Kari was her main concern. If that meant showering to get on the transport, she'd have to do it.

 _"What about my clothes?"_ She asked grudgingly with a taint of disdain and it looked like he was about to get his way. You mean the rags and the random pelts of fur?

"Those will be cleaned to the best of our ability until new ones can be manufactured for you."

She noticed the General was pristine; everything about him was perfect. His hair, his skin, his nails, his uniform; everything. It was as if he expected her to be the same but was willing to accommodate it. Washing her clothes? Providing her with shower gels and shampoos and….. Was that a lady razor? Asshole. As if just one would even put a dent in her collection! Her legs alone could arouse a Wookie. Hell, she'd take a stab at it.

She'd never done it before. This was all about new experiences, new beginnings. And if she was willing to help the First Order but not shave her legs, she needed to re-examine her priorities. Looking down, the water was brown and was closely followed by off-colour suds. A mixture of blood (both her own and others), dirt and dead skin coloured and textured it as it ran down the drain.

It was also nice to feel something other than cloth on her bare face; that too would need scrubbing. Again, the dead, flaky skin under the mask had amounted to plenty. Her hair was heavy with trapped water; needless to say a haircut was uncommon. Loose hairs fell out as she massaged her scalp and the knots were assessed with her fingertips. It would take savage combing to get them out. Several cuts later, Layna emerged from the hot water with naked legs and armpits and instantly regretted it.

 _Shit, it's cold!_ Her hair alone would take significant drying, the sheer volume of it held the water would not be removed it a towel. Every part of her was stubborn, even her hair. The black robe was seized and she was delighted to learn that the hood would more or less cover her face and keep the mass of hair behind her shoulders and out of sight.

Far from perfect but much better than what she had been, Layna (back in her clean snow suit and mask) met the General under the escort of two more Stormtroopers.

 _"You sure you want to do this?"_ She asked him bluntly, taking in his attire with an arched eyebrow. All black; it was more or less an extension of his uniform with a black, furry hat. She didn't comment. _You'd be prey so fucking fast…_. Camouflage was everything out there.

"I want assurance." Hux answered though he was somewhat uneasy after seeing the images on the database. Even if he hadn't, the damage Tyg had done to the ship was probably enough to rattle him but he held his nerve.

 _"You mean you want to know what you're feeding? What's going to be doing the legwork?"_ He didn't answer, just turned with a swing of his cloak and boarded the shuttle. What's with the dramatics? She couldn't remember the last time she'd been (awake) on a ship so her gut did twist a little. Maybe she shouldn't have eaten so much…. _"How long?"_ The masked female inquired, hoping the barrier would smother the queasiness that wasn't helped by the stink of ship fuel.

"An hour. Possibly more." The General informed her, eyeing her from the side. Curiosity still burned at him. He wasn't used to not getting what he wanted and he wanted to see her. In time, he told himself. She'll slip up sooner or later. If he was truly a vindictive man, he would have withheld the delivery of food until his curiosity was satisfied.

When they landed and Layna looked out the window, her heart lurched. This was bad. The hulking shadows in the snow prowled purposefully around the shuttle, hackles raised, teeth bared and claws out.

 _"Fuck!_ " The alpha cursed out loud, this was going to take mediating. A LOT of mediating.

"What is it now?" Hux breathed with impatience, on his feet and ready to disembark.

 _"Sit down and let me deal with this. Drop the ramp and everyone stay where you are."_ Apparently, that hurt his ego.

"Who gave you charge of command?!" The ginger General demanded, still standing and squaring her off. While that might have intimidated anyone else (he was a rather tall individual), not the borderline feral female. She simply stared him down with an arched eyebrow and her arms crossed over her chest.

 _"You're going to need me to go down there before you let anyone follow me."_ Needless to say, he didn't appreciate being told what to do; he'd worked too long and too hard and clawed his way back from the brink for that.

"I am the commanding office-!"

 _"Do you think they give a shit who you are?!"_ Layna countered fiercely, pointing to the window where she could see her pack starting to lurk around the shuttle. _"You know what you are to them?! You're a fucking meal! And not even a good one! You want me to scout?! I can't do it without them so let me deal with this!"_

The ramp was dropped while Hux grudgingly watched her take the upper hand. Immediately, she felt it. The aggression, the scorn, the thirst for vengeance.

 _"Sentai?"_ An earth shattering roar greeted the name of the alpha in her absence; Tyg's father and Kari's mate. Hux flinched and paled a shade. Did she really have control over these creatures?!

 _"Yeah… I'm fine."_ A rumbling growl followed and Hux's features fell into confusion as well as discomfort. _She was communicating with it._ Layna cast the General a look of warning; a look that told him to wait. She then descended down the ramp. The crippling whip of the blizzard in full swing would have cut her face without the mask. Thankfully, she was protected. To her surprise, half the pack was waiting for her; the male half…. And Keema. The largest of them, the huge grey male ambled forth out of concern to inspect, to ensure that she was indeed fine.

 _"I told you, I'm good. They didn't hurt me. The opposite actually."_ Sentai communicated with a serious of grunts and snarls with his breath fogging with each one, none of these were threatening or cruel in nature.

 _"I have really good news."_ She told her second, reaching out to give his snout a rough, grateful pat. _"This dry spell is gonna be over soon. There's just some details we need to finalize first."_ Another snort. _"I know you don't trust it. I don't blame you. But trust me. Mark the fool in black."_

 _"Listen to me if you want to live."_ Were her first words when she re-entered the shuttle and they probably weren't most welcome. Needless to say, the General was still unimpressed that his command had been assaulted.

 _"Half the pack is out there. The male half and one female. The most dangerous fuckers I have so no sudden movements. No eye contact. Raise a blaster and the one closest to you will mangle you before you can pull the trigger. And even if you do, the damage will be minimal if there's any at all. That goes for you especially."_ The last part was directed pointedly at the General who just became more and more indignant with every word the masked female spoke.

 _"The biggest one; the grey one: He's going to be marking you, don't do anything stupid. He's very, very nasty."_

"Marking me?!" Hux was well aware of the term but outraged that something bigger than him would be watching his every move and he couldn't even defend himself?! "Marking me for what?!"

 _"You're the intruding pack leader."_ She replied casually as if Hux would understand the implication of it. But was how her pack would see this: an invasion from another group. _"They're expecting you to be hostile so it's better to show them you're not. Let's be clever about this, hmm?"_

It was an eerie scene. Nothing but an expanse of bluish white snow for miles around. The only landmark was the odd scattering of empty Stormtrooper armour. Cold unlike he'd ever felt swept across his hollow cheeks and immediately, his gloved hands flew to his face. Her insistence on a mask was explained.

 _"I warned you."_ Layna murmured as she stalked past the General to her pack. If his blood hadn't already chilled from the sub-zero temperatures, it certainly would have when he looked up. Monsters. That was the only way to describe them. Huge, hulking, muscular, monsters. Several of them. All male bar one but it was impossible to spot the female; to pick her out from the males.

His own towering height would barely grace their shoulders and for him to stretch out his arms would just about cover their width. And they were all watching him. A **crunching** noise grabbed his already apprehensive attention to find one of the beasts; a large, greyish white one, chomping ominously on a Stormtrooper spine. As if that wasn't menacing enough, the creature was looking directly at him as it did so. Layna couldn't understand why Tal was here but it seemed he was enjoying himself distressing the invading pack. Sentai marked the General as requested and found Layna's equal to be less than he expected. He made it known with a snarl.

 _"No, he doesn't but he's throwing us a lifeline."_ Hux got the impression he was being spoken about and it was reinforced when the female alpha moved between him and the giant monstrosity marking him. Its eyes hadn't moved from him and the temptation to stare it down was almost too much.

"D…. Doesn't what?!" Hux tried not to stutter but the cold was exceptional; he hoped he was wrong but it felt like his lips were turning blue.

 _"Look like an alpha."_ Layna seemed to be unfazed by the cold. _"Or smell like one. Which you don't. You're too clean. **THAT'S** why I didn't want to shower."_ So now this brute was undermining him as well?! And it couldn't even speak?!

"Now see here-!" Bad idea. In one swift movement and a snap of brutal jaws; the sizeable grey creature was nose to nose with him, teeth bared and vile breath warming him: It was both a blessing and a curse. Hux stared back, numb and not just from the cold. In all the battles he'd endured; he never thought he'd die at the mouth of a wild animal. However, his alpha stepped in at the last second.

 _"Easy!_ " Layna pushed herself in between Hux and Sentai, eager for negotiations not to break down. _"Let's just calm down, alright? Sentai? Back up."_ Grudgingly, the Quohr backed up but continued to watch the General, determined to daunt him. "The General has a very generous offer for us. Let's not be ungrateful, guys." With Sentai backed up and the situation defused somewhat, Layna felt that pressure against her back again. Warily, Hux watched the snow white beast rubbing its face off her back, a very affectionate action that even the ginger could see. _"Hi buddy…."_ Her hand reached back and gave its chest a light stroke before looking to the General. _"This is the one that wrecked your shuttle."_

"Where is the rest of the pack?" The General asked, the cold quickly getting to him. He assumed the Stormtrooper armour was warmer than his own attire; if it wasn't, he'd condemned his soldiers without even realizing it. Or maybe he needed to experience it before he could appreciate it properly.

 _"About an hour that way._ " Layna replied with a nod in said direction. _"It's too far. Let's do this now."_ Sentai, Tyg, Tal, Keema, Sal, Ven, Kas and Rok watched; all eight were well aware of how intimidating they were and while they were outnumbered, they were by no means 'outgunned'. _"We've been made an offer."_ Layna spoke only to her pack, ignoring the General and his guards.

 _"A great offer. Food in exchange for scouting the terrain, maybe a few days at a time. I've accepted for us because I believe it's what's best for us. It's a small price to pay; we'd be scouting looking for food anyway."_ Layna paused. No protests. _"If we want to survive, this is imperative. We want to continue growing as a pack, we need this. Kari's pup is due in the next few weeks; Tyg, Keema, Tal, Ven, Kas, your pups are next if that's what you want. But we can't do it without this. Is everyone with me?"_ A chorus of growls, grumbles and hisses were taken as agreement so Layna turned to the General.

 _"We're in."_


	4. Chapter 4 - Knight of Ren

((So this is a dormant fic and I wanted to see what would happen if I added another chapter so let's see how it goes! I know it's not very polished but we'll give it a go.))

The General was true to his word. Only a few day cycles after Layna and the pack consented their services; a freighter touched down with several tonnes of meat to last the group for a few days until the next lot arrived. The freighters continued to arrive for weeks and months, bearing their load much to the delight of several hungry Quohr; including the newborn female, Kitani. In agreed exchange; Layna's pack had scoured the planet, extending their search every day until finally, suitable landscape was found and groundwork began on a new base. Also, in an unanticipated move, Layna was made an officer – A tracking officer, the only tracking officer. As promised, she was provided with a new snow suit (far warmer than her old one, not that she would ever admit it), private quarters (though she rarely used them) and a token income to feed herself from the officer's canteen.

She maintained the mystery surrounding her by never removing her mask. It was a privacy issue that the General barely managed to respect and created an air of wariness among her 'fellow' officers. She didn't dress like them, she didn't act like them and she certainly wasn't trained like them but it suited her to be treated like an outcast; she wasn't one of them, why try to be? Her attempts to keep herself set aside were adhered to by the officers and she seemed to be invisible to the Stormtroopers but that didn't stop Hux. He appeared to be determined to see under the mask but so far, she had managed to foil any attempts he made. However, his toils became less and less frequent while he became more frenzied by something else. Mercifully, Layna had good news.

"I have a present for you." The redhead's distraction of late did not go unnoticed; yet Layna was about to relieve him. Trotting along behind him and incapable of keeping step with the rigid stride of the General, he appeared not to hear her. "Hey! You listening to me?" As if a minute, annoying insect were buzzing about his ear; Hux twitched to relieve himself of it but only found the little tracking officer instead.

"When did you get here?! I'm trying to think!" Layna received the swipe of irritation but replied with nothing more than a small, careless tut. He kept walking and while she did her best to keep up, he seemed determined to be alone. Perhaps his tone would change when he heard her _present._ "Don't you have crystal caves to find?!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Layna's frustration and glee sparked at once, prompting her to break into run to not only catch up with the General but to cut off his path. "We found them! We found the caves!" Had he not heard her properly? Had her heard her at all? Why wasn't he reacting? Why had he paled to such an alarming shade of white she'd only seen in the purest snow?

"You found them?" The repeat was almost dead but the intensity of the disbelieving stare was very much alive. He took another moment to regain his borderline arrogant demeanour but never broke his eyes from the ivory-clad female. "Where?! Where did you find them?!"

"About fifty miles north of here. We've been exploring a new network since construction on the base began and we found it tucked away in there. It's breath-taking, you should-"

"Come with me."

"Where're we-?"

"Will you stop asking questions?! There's someone you need to meet."

* * *

The debriefing room on the new base surpassed that of Starkiller and Finalizer combined. The computers and machines had not yet felt the wrath of a lightsaber and the General would rather keep them unscathed. After all, the expense was not only astronomical but they had been bought with a hesitant second chance and the promise not to fail again. Did the Knight care for such trivial things? He didn't on Starkiller or Finalizer, why would he begin now?

Like an animal tuned to its senses, Kylo Ren was in a similar trance to the one Layna had found the General in. Standing at well over six feet, broad and dark as an Umbara night; he was truly a sight to behold. Supported by the ebony tresses, almost anaemic disposition and sullen broodiness, one would think twice before approaching him for directions. His features looked like they may have been soft and caring once but since had been ironed with a long, ominous scar; a brand of the Dark Side. Eyes of chocolate had probably been carefree and childlike before but now…. They held ferocity, intensity and unmistakable pain. The trauma was fresh and word had most likely spread of what he had done but only he knew what it had done to him. Naturally, he chose to suffer in silence and attempt to smother it in a bid to serve the Dark Side as his grandfather had done.

With the Knight now fully healed, trained and even more bitter than before, Hux found himself in more or less the same position as before Starkiller was destroyed: Ren seeking something but charging it to him. However, Hux had someone doing the probing for him but until she found what they sought, he was prey to Ren's scrutiny. He had waited for months with the grating gaze of the drop-out Jedi dogging his every move while his base grew up around him. Thankfully, he now had a fruitful report for Ren who prowled the new technological centre expectantly.

"Will you just stop and tell me what's going on?!" The voice of a female rang in the corridor and captured the Knight's attention but he didn't adhere to it, not yet. Curious but restrained, he faced the Stormtrooper guarded doorway and waited; she was answered by the General.

"Let me be clear about something!" The hiss was faint but Ren heard it regardless, despite the continuing clip of accompanying footsteps. "You are to be quiet and speak only when spoken to! He is dangerous, he is unpredictable and I cannot protect you from him!"

"I've **never** asked you for protection and I'm not about to start! And I'm not afraid of your buddy either!"

"You are absolutely insufferable! I am merely-!" The pair were met with already piqued attention from the mass of black robes which caused the two to stop dead in their tracks and Hux in his indignant splutters. For a few dragging seconds, nothing was said but plenty exchanged in analysing eyeing; mostly the Knight on the tracker and vice versa. "Ren." Strained was possibly the best way for Layna to describe Hux's grit when he finally broke the silence; the dislike was obvious. "This is Layna. She's the tracking officer I told you about. The alpha of the-"

"The Quohr. Yes, I noticed the drabs of a pack on my way here." Ren finished with a vague fascination fixated on the masked female before. Naturally, she returned the interest; he knew his beasts.

"I was just telling the General…." Layna chimed sweetly, completely disregarding the instructions given to her en route. Muffled and all as she may have been, the scarred male understood her perfectly; after all, he too had relied on a mask for years. Captured in a way he didn't quite understand, Kylo Ren adjusted himself in such a way that removed the redhead from his scope of vision and so only the white clad officer dominated his focus. "We found the crystal caves this morning. Fifty miles north of here." Engrossment deepened, he physically shifted while she tried not to waver under the increased intensity of that dissecting gaze.

"You….. Found them?"

"That's what I said." A quiet tut came from somewhere nearby but both ignored it, she was far too busy holding her own. And much to Hux's surprise, Ren didn't seem too put out by the borderline disrespect. Abruptly, the younger of the two males shattered his fixation and stepped back with a sweeping gesture to the table behind her. Invitation accepted, Layna stalked past him where a satellite image of the area in question had just materialised. The image manipulated itself by her touch; zooming in, scrolling and focusing until she found what she needed: The entrance to the network where the caves lay. It seemed the data from Tyg's camera had been uploaded in record time as the lights dimmed and the new images caused the padding of reverent footsteps towards the table. Ren arrived at her side, absorbed by the pixels unravelling themselves into a clearer picture and she could have sworn she heard the hitch of a breath as his eyes swept the winking gleams of glowing rock.

"It goes all the way back." She added as a piece of token information as Ren moved away to saunter the perimeter of the table, utterly bewitched by the sight before him; he finally had what he was looking for. "Maybe about a hundred metres worth of tunnel, crystals everywhere and easy to remove." A brief glance at the General found him just as intrigued as Ren. "There could be more-" The spell was broken as he rounded on her with a sweep of a black cloak and a switch in temper that Hux had tried to warn her about.

 **"** **More?!"** He demanded fiercely with the swift thumping of boots on the immaculate steel floor towards her; but as always, she stood her ground. Even when faced with that daunting scar towering over her and the warm, odourless breath breezing on her face. **"Are you sure?!"**

"There are other caves in that network we haven't explored yet and more networks besides." Layna explained calmly with her nerve staying intact. "We might find more, we might not. If there's more, this is the first but that doesn't mean we'll stop looking." Gods, he was impossible to read and unpredictable had been an understatement. For a moment, his glare heated her cheeks but she remained unfazed by it, simply let it run its course without backing down. Eventually, he succumbed to peace first and broke the scowl in what Layna assumed was satisfaction with her answer.

"Rest tonight." He told her staunchly, having already turned away from her vicinity and strode to the open and waiting door. "Rest your pack or the ones you choose to bring. We leave at dawn." Like a phantom, he disappeared in a swipe of black material and the whirring of a mechanical door.

"Well…." Layna's ears pricked to the rare sound of the General chuckling which made her pivot in slight disbelief and he too started to sidle towards the door. "I think he likes you."


	5. Chapter 5 - Heart of the Saber

((I'm fighting my way through one hell of a writer's block at the moment so please do bear with me.))

The two moons of Ilum were slowly beginning to fade in the light the single sun splashed across the landscape as dawn fast approached. The stationary snow speeder stood dormant as a seeming landmark for a meeting point and so; fed and rested, Layna looked ahead to what was sure to be a tiring and intense day. Tyg, Kas, Myr, Dani and Keema waited with their alpha as the watery yolk of sunrise started to spill across the white; subtly staining it with a twinge of yellow. Fifty miles, give or take. They had done it before, ventured further and back in a desperate search of food during their darkest times before the Order stepped in. But with a sceptical glance sideways at the speeder, she wondered how long that would last before it needed to refuel in the middle of a glacial desert.

The heavy booted footsteps in swift succession of each other woke Layna from her glazed admiration of the morning; turning, she found the mass of black she'd met the day before powering towards her with a domineering stride. Biting back the urge to roll her eyes, Layna noticed the same thing she noticed about the General when he insisted upon seeing the pack he would be feeding all those months ago – No camouflage. He seemed to catch the curiosity.

"Do you have something to say?" Needless to say, he could very easily have rifled through every thought though he doubted the vast majority of them would be of any appeal to him. Nonchalant and disinterested, he prowled to the speeder where the monsters and their leader waited without even the slightest taint of visible fear. He inspected it; checked it over and scrutinized every inch before returning his glare to Layna. "Well?!"

" _Nothing!"_ She scoffed from behind her mask with an arched eyebrow as she marched to her own transport – Tyg. _"Just don't know how far you intend to get without camouflage is all. It's not like the pack are the only predators out there."_ Such a viable point hadn't even graced his mind but seeing her in her chalky snow suit with only the First Order insignias emblazoned on the upper arms seemed sensible; he was far more sure of himself than that though. Before he could open his mouth to protest, she had swung in again with another cut but this time, from the back of one of the larger and pristinely white Quohr. _"And we're heading at least fifty miles north and at least fifty back. They'll have no problem doing it but will_ _ **that**_ _?"_ The pointed nod to his choice of vehicle irked him to the point of his teeth gritting in raw offence; it was going to be a long, strenuous and stressful day on which they hadn't even begun yet.

"The speeder will suffice!" He barked back, having mounted the mechanical mobile, feeling somewhat less confident in it now though he would rather crash it into a burning ball of scrap than buckle under the snide contortion of a half-covered face. "As for my attire, I'm sure we will have plenty of warning in the event of an attack!"

" _Yeah, going through the icy planes with you will give everyone else PERFECT warning!"_ Another observation sprung to Layna's mind as she cast one last, disdained look over the wannabe Sith. " _And you didn't even bring a survival pack?! No rations, no water canister, no first aid?! Are you out of your fucking mind?! What if we get stuck?!"_

"I am trained in the ways of the Force!" Ren jumped to his own defence but without measuring his argument or even Layna's interest in it. "I can survive-!"

" _Yeah, yeah."_ Layna interrupted dismissively with a tut of annoyance as she gave Tyg an encouraging pat on the shoulder. With a small lurch, the beast rallied to his full size with the others not far behind; a symphony of readying snorts, the whispers of snowflakes being shaken from fur and the scraping of claws on the ice to gain traction all resembled sprinters awaiting the gun at a marathon. _"Stick to your hunk of crap and try to keep up, will ya?"_

* * *

He did keep up. And he kept up quite well but Layna paid him no mind. The downside to keeping up with a pack of Quohr was the constant upturning of snow by five sets of shovel-like paws which launched back at the speeder for fifty miles; keeping up was one thing, getting ahead to avoid the barrage of snow was another. The first recognition he got from her in hours was when she glanced back, nodded ahead then returned her focus to the scatterings of mountains ahead that had just emerged on the horizon; almost there. Less than an hour later, the mere bumps in the distance had turned into towering, imposing masses of rock and at the base, she called a halt to the pack and began to dismount with a _crunch_ underfoot.

" _We need to get up there!"_ She had already made her way to him, lifting her feet more than usual to stomp through the depth of the snow. Kylo Ren followed the ivory-gloved finger to a small indent in the mountain; an inconspicuous looking entrance, perhaps a hundred feet and more from the surface. _"There's a path for some of the way but the rest we'll have to climb. Can you do that?"_ The exposure so far had left his jaw rigid, his cheeks pinkened and his scalp numb from the persistence of falling snowflakes so any concept of shelter for any length of time was welcomed warmly. If that alcove could offer shelter, he would climb on his hands and knees to it; path or no path. The steady snowfall had become more purposeful and determined, indicating that the weather gauge planted on the arrival of the Order had done it's duty; the daily impending blizzard was right on schedule. _"Right, let's move."_

The path was the easy part. But littered with snow-capped boulders and jagged, protruding rocks that swiped at heels, calves, knees and even a shoulder made him question if she knew what a 'path' was. Five of the party passed the obstacles with ease; with four legs each, thick fur and almost impenetrable hides, they had an automatic advantage over the two humans. Though Layna was restricted to walking upright, she was nearly as adept as her quadruped companions out of pure experience; clearing the path as she had done the day before. However, the raven-locked male lagged behind, unaccustomed to the conditions despite the warring on Starkiller that had been driven by absolute adrenaline. The closer they got though, the more he could feel the vibrations and the flow of energy from the cave above and in that flow, he found the strength to push himself on.

The climb had been gruesome and draining. The path, by comparison, had been a snow-speckled saunter but the climb was physically challenging and agonizing. The Quohr had no difficulties in leaping from ledge to ledge (regardless of their vast weight) and vertically scaling the rock face with the anchor-like claws they had been given at birth. It had been Layna's reasoning to only bring some of the second generation beasts due to the strenuous nature of the trek even if it did mean throwing a deaf ear to Sentai's (extremely vocal) protests. Had it not been for the robust gloves on either human, their hands would have been cut to ribbons within moments of undertaking the climb, but thankfully, their hands stayed well protected; not only from the serrated stone they hauled themselves on but the treacherous, icy wind that would easily strip flesh from bone.

Every second was excruciating as the weather worsened quicker than they would have liked but it pushed them to fighting towards their destination for shelter. The beasts waited for them; pacing the edge and glancing over every so often to check on the human's progress though they were significantly more concerned about one than the other. Eventually, thankfully, mercifully; they arrived onto the bitingly cold rock. However, though Kylo Ren panted from the sheer exertion that burned him despite the polar conditions, he could not remove his almost disbelieving gaze from the mouth of the cave. While there was no immediate signs of any Kyber crystals (nestled further deep in the cave), he could already feel the pulse of energy and power that would make any Jedi or Sith tremble.

Slowly and unsteadily though not fully recovered, Ren struggled to his feet and ambled towards the opening with Layna and the Quohr in hot pursuit; drawn and manipulated by the energy as it twisted the Force inside him. Warmed by the utter potency of the crystals hidden deep, he ventured into the shelter from the beating winds and sleet to head towards the reverberation; focused and obsessed as if his guides had vanished upon reaching their goal. Dark but not pitch, the grotto had a dim light source that Ren didn't notice to question; he was fixated on the prospect of severing the power of the Jedi and would start here within this very cave but said light prevented him from injuring himself by small obstacles on the ground.

One foot carefully placed in front of the other with eyes wide and scanning furiously, the dark-haired male walked for minutes that he didn't bother to count as he was lured towards the core. The light began to gradually get brighter and brighter until the explosion of bold colour and dazzling luminosity erupted when they finally set foot in a cavern in the bowels of the mountain. Speechless and borderline delirious, he could never have anticipated such a haul; since his first encounter with the scout the day previous, he had thought of nothing else than the prospect of this step forward. Part of him had feared she was exaggerating; that she was blowing it out of proportion but here was the proof before his awe-struck eyes. Glistening, glimmering; each individual stone winked at him in greeting, each one the source of incredible power and possible destruction depending on the master; this was where the throb was strongest. It seemed every surface was graced with a rainbow of stones, varying in shades and sizes (as they occurred in nature but would be shaved down before use) huddled close together in the rock face but ripe to be plucked. And Layna had been correct; upon close inspection, the gems looked like they would be lifted without too much difficulty. He extended a gloved hand and even through the tough leather that had shielded him all the way there, he could feel the sawtooth tips nudging his fingers as if threatening to break through and spill a sacrifice.

The next step would be to have a squadron deployed; to mine the cave for everything it was worth before the Jedi could. He would request that Layna continue searching the caves with the Quohr since she had released a magnificent haul already; no doubt that her success would be repeated due to her extensive knowledge of the terrain. The quiet ring of footsteps barely registered in Ren's ears; despite being here before, the wonderment in her voice was fresh and prevalent in a way he'd never really heard before.

"This place…. It hums…. It _sings_ …. So much life without a single heartbeat…." It took a moment of realization to remember that he was not alone. His forehead creased to accommodate the frown pulling on his lips while his mind tried to calculate why she sounded different. Was it the cave? Was her voice distorted by the waves created by the crystals? When he turned to address her, to share her sentiment, his expression fell into one of confused stupefaction. While she stared around in veneration and astonishment, Ren could only stare at her and the reason she sounded different: She had lowered her mask. Layna was not a Force user, she was not Force sensitive nor did she ever have any dealings with anything of the sort but she was in tune with nature; her survival depended on it. So it was only natural that she would bow to the majesty of this somehow divine place and give it the respect that it commanded; if that meant something as simple as lowering her mask, despite present company, she would do it. Kylo Ren, however, was dumbfounded.

While she immersed herself, inspired, in her surroundings, he found it difficult to look anywhere else. His eyes swept everything; taking in every single characteristic from the pair of slate grey eyes he was becoming accustomed to the little wisps of hay like strands poking from beneath the snow hood. The unfamiliar features were completed by a sweet button nose, a coupling of squeezable cheeks and a set of lips that had swollen slightly from the cold but not chapped from the guardianship of the mask. Was he privy to this? He couldn't be sure from only knowing her one day but it shattered illusion of mystery nonetheless.

"You alright? Hello?" Flinching at the hand waving and invading his eyeline, he found that new face contorted with darling inquisitiveness and far closer to his than he remembered from the outset of his stupor. "Hey! You in there?! I said the blizzard's picked up, we gotta wait before we head back!"

* * *

"Supplies don't seem such like a bad idea now, huh?" She bristled over the low hum of the tiny portable heater; about the same size as Ren's clenched fist though the carpeted behinds of the Quohr wedged together at the entrance to the cave to keep the heat inside. He didn't answer; simply sulked at the mere concept of being wrong and submitting to her superior knowledge and experience. For significant lengths of time, his brooding gaze remained unwavering on the compact source of heat but for brief and fleeting periods, it would flicker elsewhere; to the irritated and unmasked female he found in his immediate vicinity. "Let's hope we won't be here too long." She continued out of nowhere though he couldn't be sure if she had spoken between that sentence and the one he registered before that; zoning out in distraction hadn't happened in some time, he was supposed to be trained to a degree to be above such a thing. He woke again to a nudge at his arm and a clearing of an unrestricted throat; food was being offered.

"What, don't you eat either? Hydrate? Refuel? No?" Against his pride, he grudgingly accepted the half ration; not applying the thought process that the ration was hers and she was under no obligation to share but was doing so regardless and voluntarily. Could he name what he so blindly chewed in his mouth? No. Could he savour any flavours or even differentiate them? No. Distraction did not suit him and even something so benign as subtly watching her eat proved to be more of an interference than he cared to admit. The heater, though Ren didn't realize it, was not the only heat billowing into their temporary shelter; the breath of the Quohr (however unpleasant) did wonders for raising the temperature enough to ignore the blizzard outside. While the beasts dozed peacefully, seemingly unfeeling of the cold nipping at their backsides, the humans ate in silence; Layna found no reason to pay heed to Ren and perhaps his logic should have been the same but alas, when did he ever adhere to logic?

"How long do you think we will be here?" Innumerable minutes had passed them by before the darker of the two broke his muteness many hours old. Layna's answer was delayed by her obvious chewing but the thoughtful sigh should have told Ren his answer was imminent; when she eventually swallowed, she leaned back onto the small of her back but found her view blocked.

"Could be one hour." She replied, pausing the water canister at her lips. "Could be four, could be five; I can't really see with the hairy ones in my way." A quick swig from the canister was taken before the half-full vessel was passed over and was regarded with the same hesitancy when offered the food. When she shook it at him, the little pings from the ice inside jingled his thoughts to reset and accept the water. Hush enveloped them again and this time, it was Layna's turn to stare while Ren lost himself in the heater and the drone of it that had turned to white noise. "What happened to your face?" Why he felt the need to pause before the answer was beyond him but since that fateful day on Starkiller Base, he had regressed; in the time following the completion of his training, even more so. Had there ever been a time when he prized that scar? He couldn't say for certain that there was; not when there was so much that had unravelled that day that could not be re-ravelled.

"Lightsaber." Clear in his determined (if unemotional response) that he would rather not discuss it, Layna's questions ended there while the force user folded into his contemplative self. He would rather believe he was the master of his own mind enough to disregard such niggling blame and 'what ifs' but unwilling to engage in other stimulation, it seemed he was doomed to wallow in regret and guilt.

* * *

"You're sure?!" How long had he been locked away into himself when the zen-shattering scuffling began to seep into his nothingness? He couldn't be sure but when he finally did pull himself from its depths, the Quohr had moved from the entrance and Layna was on her feet. "Blizzards off." She told him briskly as she whipped round the make-shift camp, collecting the equipment. "Better move now before another one starts to set in."

Climbing back down had the extra challenge of all the dangers being hidden and the ledges snow-covered almost impossible to predict their length; one false grab or step on pure powder would ensure a tumble. The only upside to the flurry was that if one should fall, the chances of survival were not as slim as before with a fresh blanket coating the ground below. Still, survival was not guaranteed and to be cautious was certainly more advisable so the bipeds did just that. Ever so carefully, hands moved in tandem with feet; attentively lowering themselves down the cliff-face they had struggled up only a few hours previous. Touching down on the 'path' was barely welcome but it was slightly less of a struggle; it simply meant upkeeping their vigilance of jutting rock and branches that had been stealthily concealed during the blizzard.

When they arrived at the very base of the mountain, they found something else to be concealed – or rather, didn't find it at all. The snow speeder had been buried. They knew the spot, knew exactly where it had been parked but even if they had overshot or undershot the location; something like a snow speeder would have stuck out like a sore thumb in the endless tundra wasteland. The almost goading radiated from the direction of the scout as he stared obtusely at the exact place where he had suspended it; what now? The irritating click of a tongue sounded from somewhere to his left and automatically, he knew Layna was about to make a smug suggestion.

" _So…. Who wants to give Ren a lift?"_ Just as he was about to bite back aggrieved, it came to his attention that the blonde(?) was not speaking to him but rather past him and all around him. It had never occurred to Ren but there before him, he witnessed the change in monstrous facial expressions of these beasts; one shifting its 'pass-the-buck' gaze to the next, none willing to commit to ferrying the foreigner. That was, of course, until the most loyal bleated his agreement in a strange, rolling purr. It was acknowledged with a point of a wrapped finger and a tone of utter fondness. _"My man. Go with Tyg."_ The last portion of the sentence shoved Ren into pure bewilderment as his head swivelled between Layna and the milk-coloured Quohr that had dipped the underneath of its body into the snow to allow him access to its back.

"You want me to ride a Quohr." The seconds seemed to tick audibly between the two and though her face had been re-covered, the arched eyebrow and the pull of her cheek below her eye were enough evidence of a smirk. His options were, indeed, limited.

" _D'you want to walk back? Or put faith in the snow to ease off to get your speeder back? Either way, you'll be waiting and there's no shelter unless you want to climb back up to the cave."_ The fresh snow underfoot yielded no noise as she stalked across to one of the other creatures that had splayed itself like Tyg had for Ren. _"Not to mention there's another blizzard on the way that we may get caught in if we don't move soon; which could, incidentally, bury your speeder even more and you'll be stranded without supplies._ " Seated in undeniable comfort and trust atop the back of the (female) Quohr, Layna glanced over her broad side to where he still stood, simmering with borderline humiliation. _"So what's it gonna be?"_

* * *

Each powerful stride nudged under Ren's crouched form, pulling him forward and hauling him back continuously but all in all, the journey itself was not an unpleasant one; not that he would confess that, at least. The beast beneath him, the one she had called Tyg, was gentle with the inexperienced rider; giving him enough body language notice whenever he was about to jump a ditch or trying to negotiate a patch of ice. He even made the consideration of moderating his speed and falling back from the others purely for Ren's comfort though such a sentient decision probably escaped the human's appreciation. In comparison to the speeder, Ren found a number of pros and cons of having a live creature beneath him rather than a metallic vehicle. For one, the heat of the speeder's engine was faint in the metallic shell (a purposeful design element for long journeys) but Tyg's body heat warmed him to the most delightful degree. The pack trundled on ahead so the snow being lashed behind was too far ahead to meet a target but even if they were not, the stark size of Tyg alone would act as a barrier to any spluttering and spitting Ren might have to do.

The journey was shorter on the way back. There were no markers or signs to indicate the time left to their destination or even their current location; simply a vast badland of nothingness all around with wilderness in every direction. Again, Ren took his cue from the pack ahead though the snowfall impeded his vision more than he would have thought; his eyes remained on them to avoid the dizziness. The new base slowly began to edge into view and the pack ahead barrelled towards it with gusto – they were finally home and their trying day was almost over. Hurdling about a hundred feet behind the rest of the group but quickly gaining as they slowed gradually, Ren realized that it was an experience he would gladly repeat. The beast below him followed their lead and dropped his speed as they halted at the vehicle port where they had departed that morning to ultimately join the rest. Shaking his hair free of snow as Tyg lowered himself into the fresh white layer, Ren disembarked carefully only to spy Layna waiting at the open mouth of the port.

" _Was he gentle on your first time?"_ Ren ignored the playful goading from beneath the mask as they began to walk side by side, presumably to report their findings to the General and into the glorious heat adjusted to the redhead's liking.

"It was not the most unpleasant experience." Ren confirmed crisply to the sound of two pounding sets of footprints towards the heart of the base; two forms moving in sync but one significantly bigger than the other. To convey his true feelings would be to admit defeat; a habit Ren was not accustomed to indulging in. "Different, certainly but not without its hindrances."

" _Why don't you just admit that you enjoyed it?"_ Those stirring undercurrents continued but Ren held himself firm, refusing to bow to the scout's prodding just yet. _"It's a chance to be wild, to feel the wind in your hair and close to nature; why is that so difficult for you? D'you just not enjoy stuff anymore?"_

"I didn't say I didn't enjoy it!" He responded more quickly and hastily than anticipated but put it down to impatience. He realized his mistake and cleared his throat to make way for a recovery. "I said it was different….."

* * *

"We need an extraction crew." The taller of the three present humans resolved from his place beside the holographic map of the terrain, the same terrain he and a pack of wild animals had conquered earlier that day; all to the General's interest. "The mountain is treacherous but once that is cleared, the crystals will not be difficult to locate or extract. Naturally, the most extreme care will need to be taken but-"

"Did you find other caves?" Hux had heard enough about one cave, that was as good as cleaned out but Layna had mentioned others; others were his focus now.

" _Not yet."_ Layna cut in, mask still in place as the scarlet head spun to scrutinize her instead. _"We only located these yesterday, we explored them further under the Commander's instruction and presence but we will begin our search again either tomorrow or the day after."_

"The day after?" The silky grilling was met with flared nostrils and a gaze colder than outside but Ren could feel her temper fraying under the duress.

" _Maybe."_ The grating became apparent in her usually casual tone but the restraint was also obvious. _"We need a break. Today was tough, especially doing it twice in two days, it's not-"_

"Tomorrow." Hux cut her off ruthlessly, much to her incredulity. "The rest of the day will suffice for recuperation; you will resume your search tomorrow." Layna's response was not verbal or even polite. Instead, she swept from the briefing room without a word but with a nasty temper broiling and somehow, Ren didn't think Hux needed to be force sensitive to feel it. He watched her go without interruption or intention of intervening until Hux turned back to the map, unabashed.

"Have you ever seen what's under that mask?" The scarred one asked the pristine one; for a moment, no answer came. As if Hux believed he had imagine the question, he half adjusted his head to include Ren in his eyeline.

"I've always been curious but no, I've never seen her full face." The General declared with the faintest clipped taint of annoyance to match the frown creasing those pallid features. "I would like to at some point though she is extremely secretive."

"I have." The younger but larger of the two revealed with the slightest twinge of smugness though he felt it rise like bile when Hux twisted to face him fully, scandalized and furious but involuntarily silent. Trying not to revel in his counterpart's outraged jealous (or at least hide the fact that he was doing so), Ren's nonchalant saunter around the table resume but he still felt the incensed gaze follow his every micro-movement. "The cave and its contents were beautiful but…. The most magnificent thing in there accompanied me back here." With little left to say and his self-satisfaction evident, Ren followed Layna's path with a billow of his robes and a slide of the door to allow him exit. He didn't spare his colleague a glance, nor did he exert his tired body to pay him any sort of parting gesture. "Layna's party will leave the day after tomorrow; I will be accompanying them and will require rest until then." The finality and outright gall rendered Hux seethingly quiet though Ren expected nothing else. "Goodnight, General."


	6. Chapter 6 - Troublemaker

Had he really expected that to work? Simply taking control from the General and slotting in his own assertiveness? Whether he had or not, it did work and now she had to know she had an extra day of reprieve and rest. If he found it _exhausting_ after only one day, how must she have felt after two and the prospect of going again for a third? He could understand the frustration, certainly.

It felt the same, this new base. Finalizer had been the typical of the Imperial standard, Starkiller after that and now this. It was as if the General had no imagination of his own and so wished to stifle everyone else with the monotony and banality of aseptic steel. So, the swift and purposeful booted footsteps continued but instead of swerving right to descend to his quarters, he opted left to intercept Captain Phasma in her rounds.

"The pack." Cutting right to the point, Phasma ceased her march as he came against her but her superior did not. "Where will I find them?"

"Half a mile from the eastern entrance, Sir." The loyal and dutiful response came from beneath the chrome helmet with her blaster constantly in the ready position and her posture immaculate. "They inhabit a network of caves at the foot of the mountain."

"How will I know it?!" The demand was probably harsher than it needed to be. Mountains were plentiful, they were essential for hiding the new base; the terrain seemed to consist solely of them and vast planes like the one they had just navigated.

"The carcasses, Sir."

* * *

Another snow speeder would suffice for the half mile to the camp and half mile back but he found himself trusting it less than he would have before; despite the rigorous checks he subjected it to before taking it. As if that weren't enough, the paranoia of it breaking down mid-run swirled at the back of his head; even a half mile out here, at the mercy of the elements, could be treacherous. He'd seen enough proof in the severely frost bitten (and specially trained and conditioned) Snowtroopers in the medbay and the ones moved to the morgue; which ones were better off, he couldn't decide.

The crossing was uneventful. Bitterly cold and trying but uneventful. That changed when he got to the mountain at the half mile point from the eastern entrance: things became **eventful.**

The full pack had not been present at that day's expedition, just a select few. Yet, it had never occurred to Ren that there could be **more** ; more that would not receive his presence well. Well, just one in particular.

Among the few scattered at the entrance, picking a carcass clean and leaving the skeleton as an incidental and morbid warning; the greyish-white male spotted him first. Hackles raised and crimson-stained teeth on challenging display, the resident trouble maker zoned in on the lone Knight. The threatening skulk away from his meal towards Ren was noticed by the others who backed away; much to the human's curious concern. Hissing spitefully as he advanced, Tal imposed his sheer size on the intruder; not to protect or shield but purely to be difficult and taint the good reputation of the pack.

The slow, menacing crunch of snow under-pad matched with a new, ominous and rumbling growl gave Ren the chance to consider his lightsaber. Facing the situation though and this beast in particular, it was the first time ever that he doubted the capability of the volatile weapon. If his uncle had sliced the arm off a Wampa with his, maybe... But Luke's had been dependable and fully functioning, not a crackling mess like Ren's.

The mood shifted and woke Ren from his helpless stupor; a hellish roar and apocalyptic snapping of jaws and though his eyes shut automatically, resigned to pristine skeletons being his last sight….. Nothing happened. Instead, the roars continued and he felt the occasional flick of snow on his pallid skin before he hesitantly opened his eyes to spy his amnesty.

Before him; a battle of brutes unfolded. Similar in size and stature but differing slightly in colour; both beasts were mutually impressive and just as hell bent on destroying each other. While they were evenly matched on the battlefield, one had a slight advantage over the other: Tyg had the element of surprise. Swinging from nowhere while Tal focused on Ren, the colliding of one massive body against the other sent Tal spiralling off course while his pack-mate seized him by the neck, mid-charge.

Tal recovered quickly and recalculated his new target: Tyg. Enemies since cubhood, a chance at a sparring match was never missed but this time was unusual: this time, someone else, an innocent, a non-pack member was involved.

With Tal recovered, he squared up to his aggressor; just as wild as Tyg with personal injury (to his pride, if not physical) now on the list of excuses to cause extra damage. Aggression-fuelled saliva dripped, hackles peaked, blood boiling and oral and pedal weapons at the ready; it was methodical, almost choreographed, the way they danced. Each clash saw the hurling of two massive, indestructible bodies; determined to hook claws and sink teeth into whatever unfortunate piece of flesh they could in their brief frenzy.

Wrestling on hind legs while jaws skirmished and talons like meat hooks grappled, Ren was sure at least one would be killed. The symphony of bawling howls was constant; if one wasn't amid verbally expressing himself, the other was and the result was deafening. The first wave ended and they retreated but their feral eyes never left one another. The rest lasted twenty, maybe thirty seconds before the next wave saw them trying to maximize their carnage. Did the savagery stun him? Perhaps but these monsters were wild; Layna may have led them but she did not domesticate them. That said, the pack he had accompanied to the crystal cave was exceptionally amicable, Tyg especially but the instigator of this fight had not been among them; maybe there was a reason for that. The second wave ended, then the third; by the end of the third, both were panting and bleeding but prepped to go for a forth.

Mid-sprint to meet again in the middle, an almighty bellow erupted from the mouth of the cave; enough to make both beasts skid to a halt in a flurry of snow and scrambling paws.

" **TYG!"** They glanced at each other, like children caught fighting in the schoolyard; that unmistakeable air of _uh oh…._ radiating from the pair with their scrap forgotten. **"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!"** Closer and closer the indisputable voice came though Ren still didn't have a visual; despite how intensely he searched the face of the rock shelter. **"IGNORE HIM! HE WANTS A FIGHT, DON'T GIVE HIM A FIGHT!"**

Then, she appeared in all her snow-clad glory from the mouth of one of the upper caves. Powerwalking with an inflated sense of dominance, Layna materialized unmasked and thunderous. Until she saw the visitor and it melted into curiosity; the cause of the fight had just become apparent and she made a mental note to apologize to Tyg later. Tyg trotted away (as much as his injured foot would allow) to the waiting welcome of his new mate, Keema (another bone of contention between Tyg and Tal) while the initiator of the quarrel slinked away, defeated, to lick his wounds on his own with no pity from the rest of the pack.

"What're _you_ doing here?" The inquiry was direct to the point, as was her stride in his direction.

" _I….."_ Still somewhat aghast from the brutality that he had just witnessed and the flawlessness with which she had called it off, he disappointed himself with his struggle with speech. But Ren, like the General, was forthright with an uncanny ability to correct his demeanour with the minimum breech of his character. "I came to inform you…." He began again with his comportment fixed to his satisfaction as she approached with the same curiosity. "That tomorrow, you and your selected pack may rest." Features un-ironed into surprised gratitude, she looked like she may have been about to speak but Ren took the opportunity from her; smooth and curt.

"I spoke to the General-" He spoke **at** the General. "And we have decided, upon review, that for the best performance of the pack, an extra day of rest is not only deserved but sensible." He allowed a beat of a pause before adding: "And I will accompany you again."

"Right, well…." Pleasantly taken aback and perhaps not fully sure what to do with the Knight's conviction, he was still a superiour and superiours (she gathered) were meant to be obeyed. "You hit some learning curves the last time; like the speeder, supplies and whatnot. Are you gonna take all that into consideration and apply it this time? I mean, it only benefits you." Jaw tightened, he didn't think he'd have to concede to that a second time but there was no mocking or ridicule in her tone; only gentle concern which seemed to make it easier.

"I will." He confessed, trying not to show how the cold was beginning to niggle at his extremities and therefore compromise his bearing. "I will order new equipment as per my arrival back at the base; the extra day will come in useful in processing it."

"So, it's a scouting mission? There's nowhere in particular he wants us to look?"

"In essence, yes." The presence of more caves had become a certainty but their exact location remained a mystery; much to the Order's chagrin. "An exact location has not yet been pinned down but we are confident you will find it." The responding arched eyebrow ebbed at his patience while his famous temper began to bubble beneath the surface; thankfully he restrained himself with the reminder of what he'd just seen. "Is there a problem?"

"Problem? No." That chirpiness irked him, particularly in the current cold. "Well, not for us. But it might be for you."

"Enlighten me."

"Scouting missions can take up to a week at a time." Layna explained, getting the impression that the Commander had little inkling of what he was about to undertake but the genial concern remained in her explanation. "It means camping out, it means eating whatever and it's just generally uncomfortable; we're used to it, you're not. You alright with that? If you still insist on coming with us, that is." How had that concept never crossed his mind? That looking for crystal caves on this vast, treacherous landscape like a needle in a haystack would not be an easy or a quick task. If that day had been anything to go by, it was an easy undertaking by comparison.

"It seemed this requires more discussion." Ren had let himself slip again by remaining too quiet for too long; daunted by her summation but clawed himself back. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Uhh…. No, I was just gonna-"

"Good." Without a yay or a nay from the unmasked blonde, Ren turned and swept back to the waiting speeder, expecting her to be able to read his mind like he himself was adept at doing. "Come. We can discuss the finer details over a meal and assess what we will and will not need." Dumbfounded and rooted, it took a moment and a disdained exhale from the black-swaddled male before she unstuck herself and followed him to the speeder.


	7. Chapter 7 - Pawprints

" **General?! General?!"** The signal on this Godsforsaken planet prevented the most basic of communication, perhaps that had been done with a specific purpose in mind. **"General, you seeing this?!"**

Trust the plucky Resistance pilot to take it upon himself and his loyal orange companion to infiltrate a suspected, unconfirmed base of the First Order; only to discover these monstrosities as a bonus.

" **Hold it steady, buddy!"** Poe hollered over the howl of the wind as BB-8 rocked with it, the quality of his visual recorder suffering as a consequence. **"We gotta get this back! The hell** _ **are**_ **those?!"** The sweet little droid beeped his protests; _I'm trying!_ He called back.

The subject matter, the attempted broadcasted material consisted of dozens of _gargantuan_ pawprints imprinted into the landscape of pristine white. So close to the seemingly brand new base that Poe had already surveyed and transmitted back, such substantial wildlife made no sense.

Back on the bustling Resistance cruiser, the projection table worked in overdrive to match the grainy images forcing their way through to anything on record; like the First Order had done when the pack had been initially discovered. The database flickered rapidly, striking off entries that didn't match but slowed on similar ones until they, too, could be struck off; some moving so fast that were mere jumbles of pixels that the system didn't bother to unravel.

General Leia Organa's ageing eyes tried to keep up but even those younger officers around her struggled too with how the possibilities scrabbled to find the most accurate one.

" _Poe?"_ The General stared as the computer slowed to reveal the owners of such vast prints and fret fast encroaching. _"Get back here. Now."_

The dread, even with the scarcely adequate signal, was audible in his earpiece and BB-8 squawked his agreement. But even in the birthing of a blizzard, Poe was determined.

" **General, just gimme-"**

" _Now, Commander! If it's leaving a print that size, you don't want it to catch you!"_ The thing had already been identified and Leia's blood chilled as a stock image of the beasts hovered just above her eyeline.

Quohr. And a lot of them.

"They're not native to Ilum, what're they doing there?!" Leia barked to the technician who had pulled up the characteristics of the (seeming) wolf/bear hybrid and began frantically sweeping through them.

"Unnaturally introduced?" The technician (correctly) guessed; it seemed to be the only explanation. "If they're not native, that's the only thing I can think of…" Leia surveyed the table, watching the immobile form of these terrible beasts.

"Pack hunters." She surmised with trepidation, taking key points from the computer's assessment; Poe wouldn't stand a chance if a hungry pack turned up. _"Poe?!"_ She heard the echo of her own voice on the com once more; the desperation clear even to her. _"Get your behind back here now! No buts!"_

"The hell're they using them for?!" Flustered, the princess turned General wore a path in the floor as she wracked her brains for answers while thinking out loud. "They're not just _there,_ there's gotta be a reason! If they that close to the base, they'd be exterminated whether they were a nuisance or not!" It seemed the First Order didn't have the same respect for wildlife that the Resistance did. "Are they security?! Are they aesthetic?! What?! Has he left yet?!" The last part was shot at another console where the diagnostics of Poe's X-Wing were being monitored.

"Engines firing, General."

* * *

"Now that's **a lot** better."

Layna had become very familiar with the Knight's quarters in the past day or so after sharing a meal with him; comfortable, even. The pair were alone as they often were, unmasked and at ease with the pecking order suspended; more like friends or confidants in how they conversed rather than superiour and subordinate.

"It's too hot." Ren noted crisply, observing his new snow suit in the bedroom mirror with his guide loitering in the background. "And I hate the mask."

"It's too hot _in here_." She countered reasonably when the heating system had been blaring constantly over the duration of the day cycle. "It'll be just right when we get out there; and you'll be damn glad of that mask too." Ren didn't answer, he'd learned that he could save himself conceding to her superiour knowledge of certain things if he simply said nothing. "And it'll loosen." As if she could read his mind when really, all it took was to watch him subtly pull at the material. "The heat'll circulate, it'll be fine; it has an internal system for that."

"What of our other supplies?" Ren moved on, eyeing his black cowl longingly from the corner of his vision. "Have you had a chance to inspect them?"

"Yeah, they delivered them to my "quarters" earlier today-" Layna didn't live in the quarters assigned to her by the General; she lived with the pack. "Gotta say, I'm really impressed with them. Very good quality, excellent design; this scouting run will be a breeze compared to the others."

 _Compared to the others._

"They took your advice on board." Ren resolved, knowing she had been consulted on what would make the run easier for him, her and the pack. The pack didn't need assistance, neither did Layna as such but Ren would need all the help he could get. "Have you established who's accompanying us?"

"Yeah, I have- Bloody hell, Ren…." The blonde replied with a bite of exasperation carrying into her tone, turning around to face the wall when Ren started to disrobe without informing her. "Tyg, definitely; he'll carry you." That pleased the Knight, especially since he effectively owed his life to the creature. "The usual suspects really."

"And the usual suspects are?"

"Uhh…. Tyg. Ven, Kas, Keema and Myr. Dani might be pregnant so she's gonna sit this one out." Such a concept had never occurred to Ren but he let the curiosity show once he'd re-dressed and re-adopted the scout back into his main focus.

"Does Hux offer any concessions for pregnancies?" Like Ren, it had never struck her. Perhaps it should have. "Surely it's in his best interests to expand the pack over the long term?"

"Depends on what you mean by concessions." She resumed her seat and topped up her glass though Ren's point stayed with her. "We don't really ask for anything only the meat on a regular basis, we don't need anything else. Like, my salary, my quarters, the new snow suits; I didn't ask for any of that, he just…. did it."

"You fascinate him." The Knight followed her lead and reached for his half-full glass; being privy to the General's _interest_ in Layna was not really a privilege, not when he was fond of her himself. "He wants you to be comfortable so that you'll gravitate to him and let him see your face."

"That what he's after?" Layna riposted blandly, the words almost lost in her glass though she had guessed as much where Hux was concerned. "He doesn't get that that's creepy, no?"

"I think to understand that would be to suggest that he has some inkling of how normal humans function; which he decidedly does not."

"That's the closest you've come to throwing shade, no matter how formal." The amusement was plain and Ren felt a strange flutter of pride at the tug of a smile almost hidden by the rim of her glass.

"What I meant-" Ren doubled back on the conversation and picking up some sort of bite-size snack from the small selection on the table. "Concessions. Has he never offered a vet droid or anything to ensure the health and wellbeing of the pack?"

Layna copied him in savouring one of her favourites on the plate, one that he didn't seem to care for so she indulged in them herself; waste not, want not and she knew that better than anyone.

"Nope, just the meat. But again, we've never needed it. Kitani was born a few months ago; no complications, thankfully-"

"That's not to guarantee there won't be." Ren responded without apology before she'd finished but knowing where she was going with it. "If there _were_ complications, do you think he would aid you?"

"Well, that depends. Do you know of any vet droids on the base? 'Cause I've never been offered the use of one should we need it." There had been cubs lost before; ones that might have been saved if there had been intervention like there was now. Kitani's birth had been the first light in a very long, dark period; a turning point for the pack that seen them flourish, something Layna always remembered when she watched Tyg's little sister swinging from his jowls.

"I know there aren't." The Knight confirmed to a roll of slate-grey eyes.

"And I'm not about to ask him for one. If the pack are as important as he says, he should be thinking of these things. Let's see if he has the foresight to get one **if** Dani is actually pregnant."

"It's not definite?" The mechanics of the creatures was still a source of intrigue, particularly after his most recent encounter with them. He would never admit it either but since then, he had taken the time to research a little about them; the results were astounding and unsurprising. "Who's her mate?" He was beginning to learn the names; of course, he knew Tyg and Tyg's mate was Keema. Tyg's baby sister was Kitani, a sort of combination of her parent's names: Sentai and Kari. He also knew that the pack outcast, Keema's brother and the one that attacked him was Tal; the others he was just getting to know.

"Dani and Kas are new-ish, maybe a week or two before Tyg and Keema; so _if_ Dani's pregnant, it's really early on." Kas…. Yes, that name was familiar but he couldn't place it to any of the overly-similar creatures; there were few he could pick apart.

"Anyway…." Layna rose with a brief consultation of the chronometer on her wrist before draining her glass; again, waste not, want not. "I'm gonna make tracks." The fatigue was obvious in the scouting officer but also the excitement and the apprehension; a natural reaction to being close to the dangerous beauty of nature, when none of them were guaranteed a return home. "I'll see you in the morning, bright and early, same place. Get a good night's rest, you're gonna need it; don't know when we'll get to rest in a bed again."

Mask reapplied, hood raised in preparation and a quick, parting wink marked the exit of his guide; the one he would trust (and had trusted) with his safety. With her gone, there was little to do so he thought it sensible to take her advice; she was, after all, the experienced one. Just before he did, however, his com began to vibrate insistently on the table. Half-dressed, he traipsed to its demanding buzz.

"Record time." He commented lightly to the device, knowing full well who was on the other end from a brief glance at the screen. Of course, he assumed the com was to let him know she'd returned home safely but that seemed not to be the case.

" _ **Uhh.… Ren? There's a downed ship out here. And it ain't one of ours."**_


	8. Chapter 8 - Projections

Layna waited. And waited. And waited. But Ren still hadn't moved.

Dark gaze locked on the security monitor and breath baited, the obsession deepened. She considered rousing him, giving him a gentle shake to loosen his shoulders and wake him from the intensity but thought better of it. Layna was well aware of the unpredictable nature by now, the not-so-unfounded reputation of an explosive temper that she would rather not turn on herself accidentally. Not that he would mean to harm her.

She started to saunter and he continued to stare, unwavering, at the motionless lump dominating the live feed. Despite her patience in the nothingness and tormenting silence, it wasn't Layna that shattered it.

" **Is that him?!"** The bellow erupted from behind and both Layna and Ren swirled simultaneously to spy General Hux stomping, red-faced, over the threshold. **"Is that him?! The one who destroyed my Starkiller?!"** Layna and Ren swapped a swiped look.

" _We don't know yet."_ The only present female opted to answer while her darker male counterpart returned to his brooding. _"He's still out cold. But he's been assessed by a medical droid and there's no head injury that would impede an interrogation so it's just a case of waiting for him to come 'round."_

" **And** _ **you**_ **found him?!"** Hux challenged (almost spitting) at his masked officer in rage, unable to see that said was rage was misplaced.

" _I did."_ Layna found patience, somewhere and somehow, deep within her being and siphoned it for all it was worth. What else could she do when the one who controlled her pack's food source bordered on accusatory? _"I came upon the wreckage on my way home, the pilot was unconscious inside."_ Smart remark: Repressed.

The pair of official officers, in the midst of their one-sided spar, did not see Kylo Ren straighten. They might have forgotten about him but he still listened intently and drank in every word.

"Was there a droid?"

Gratefully turning from the simmering General with a genuine inquiry, Layna's curiosity (despite the mask) could not be shielded.

" _A droid?"_ Ren had left the monitor and focused on Layna instead though he had replaced intensity with subtle encouragement. _"I didn't see any droid."_

"You're sure?" It didn't warrant a verbal response, he knew from the kink in the eyebrow that there was only one to be interrogated, and it wasn't her. "Very well." Ren replaced Layna's saunter with his own, glancing every now and then back at the monitor as if his half-absence would stir the prisoner. It didn't. "We postpone the expedition for now." The comment was directed at the monitor but the tracking officer knew it was for her. "Until this is resolved, I need you here."

For what, Layna couldn't fathom but unquestioning of a superiour officer, she accepted.

" _Right… More time to rest, I guess."_ The General watched the interaction with suspecting interest. They were remarkably comfortable with each other; trusting, almost. He recalled what Ren had told him after the first expedition and the feeling of jealousy and (more so than usual) loathing for the Knight.

He had seen her face.

He had flaunted being alone with her as a badge of honour, emphasising her apparent beauty to make it worse.

And he knew that Hux craved it, the same thing he had experienced and more. Whether or not he used this (seemingly) normal conversation to rub salt into the General's yearning wounds, Hux couldn't tell but it grated him regardless.

"Yes, you're dismissed." Hux agreed, pivoting neatly on the spot to address Layna at the door; not that she had waited for his say-so.

" _I'll com you when I get back."_ The usual parting words that had become habitual; Ren returned his attention to the monitor while the redhead ogled the empty doorway.

"Is that standard then? That level of communication?"

Cue the Knight's disdained sigh without giving his eyes a blinking break. He could feel Hux wasn't finished, there was no point answering just yet.

"There is no formality in the way you address each other. You seem completely at ease in her presence and she in yours. Am I missing something, Ren?" Less than fazed with the General elbowing his way into something that did not concern him, the darker of the two responded with a breeziness that would have made Layna proud; without looking away from the live feed, of course.

"I trust her with my life and had you the conviction to leave the safety of the base, you would too."

* * *

Layna didn't need to actually reach the cluster of caves to know something was amiss. For starters, she could hear it.

She was all too familiar with the bawling roars of males fighting (it was difficult not to when Tal lived among them) but this…. whatever _this_ was….. was different. This…. sounded like _fun._

The fretful, protesting whirrs and chirps were almost lost amidst the bellowed yelps and howls of pure excitement; more joyous than she'd heard them in quite some time.

So when she reached the ledge overlooking the main cavern where everyone tended to gather for sleep, Layna's stomach dropped when she caught sight of the orange and white droid being battered around like a beach ball. She watched, horrified, as the droid was whacked from one beast to another; the din of the play absolutely deafening.

The droid squealed as it hurtled, full force, from Keema's paw to Ven's to Dani's while Kitani prowled in the middle, waiting for a turn. All the while, the pack yowled its approval and enjoyment and drowning out the droid's terrified chittering; even Tal took part.

" _What the_ _ **fuck**_ _is going on?!"_ She hissed to Tyg, as soon as she'd trundled her way down the icy slope that led to the communal area. Tyg simply twisted, enough to give Layna his attention but not enough to miss out on the game, should the ball come his way. _"Where did that come from?!"_

"Bawaw."

" _What d'you mean you found it?! Found it where?!"_

"Buw."

" _Obviously you found it_ _ **outside**_ _, but_ _ **where outside?!"**_ Before Tyg could reply, the ball came careening in her direction in a flash of white and orange and a screaming of: **"WHOOOOAHHHH!"** Not before Layna dived into Tyg's pudgy side and used the abundance of fluff as a shield.

" _ **ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH!"**_ Before Tyg could lash the droid to one of his pack mates, the alpha disentangled herself and took charge of the situation; Ren would want to know about this. _**"NO MORE. ALL DONE."**_ She ignored the grumbles and the snorts of disgust as they disbanded at having this novelty cut short so quickly but she couldn't expect them to understand.

When she did eventually get to the worn-out droid, crouched and dropped her mask to inspect it properly, she didn't expect it to be fully functional. First the treacherous weather it would have endured then being walloped around the cavern for sport, the chances were slim. With the scratches in the paintwork and the odd dent in the durasteel exterior from the assault, her doubt mounted. However, the plucky little droid surprised her with an appreciative whinny.

"There's people looking for you, y'know." Cautiously, the BB-8 unit observed her, swivelling its head as its periscope took her in and the life form scanner did its job.

 _Human._

 _Female._

"You're a cute little thing, aren't you? I'm sorry they were so rough…"

 _Kind._

"You okay?" The droid beeped its affirmative, assuring her, despite the gap in communication. She could understand the Quohr better than the robot. Rising to her feet, confident in the droid's condition, Layna looked around as if an answer might present itself. Unfortunately, none did.

The obvious prevailed; she needed to speak to Ren. She would have commed him anyway, to satisfy him that she had arrived home safely but looking at the droid, something else was at play here.

"You didn't happen to arrive on that crashed ship, did you?" The coincidence was too great to be anything else and, of course, the orange and white visitor beeped his confirmation again. Yes, this was bad. "Where'd you come from?"

He tried to tell her something; bleeping something incoherent to the blonde whose brows knitted in confusion, but she nodded along anyway. Whatever it was, it was vital.

Somewhere in the "exchange", the twittering droid fell into frustration; stopping short every now and then and repeating the same beep and bloop when Layna bit her lip and looked, helplessly, to one of the beasts around her. Clearly, he (she? it?) had a far better comprehension of her than she did of him.

"Weeeeooo!"

"Yeah..." Layna conceded to ignorance with a grimace and an exasperated whirr from the accidental intruder. "I don't know what that means."

Options were running out and with every passing minute, Poe deepened in danger. They had failed missions before; it would just be a case of laying low until another opportunity presented itself. They could take another stab at the mission, but there was no replacing Poe.

They had been briefed that under no circumstances was their cover to be blown but, chances were, Poe had already been interrogated; tortured, even. Getting a signal out had been near impossible outside in the brewing blizzard and now, (having subtly tried during the conversation) it proved to be just as hopeless in the bowels of the cave. He needed help and it seemed there was only one way to get it. To do that, he needed to trust and therefore, unveil.

BB-8 reeled back and assessed his half-made decision. While it may have looked to Layna that he had frozen, he merely calculated and processed; odds, possibilities and outcomes. In the end, what else could he lose if his master was already in enemy hands? Dead, should BB-8 fear the worst. With that in mind and the final bolt in a durasteel decision, BB-8 turned away to face one of the vast, cavern walls, carved with the sharpening of clawmarks the length of his entire body and more.

Not quite rigid and not quite relaxed, his circuits couldn't decide on the odds but he wasn't a protocol droid or a surgical droid; odds weren't in his basic functions. He was an astromech; his basic function was to co-pilot and to fix things and now, this situation needed fixing. Resolved when he felt balance in his programming, BB-8 did something that signal was not required for. Engaging his holographic projector, he aimed it at the sturdy surface and only then did a foreign light enter the cave; a clear, blue image of a symbol dominating the wall.

Layna neared, uncovered expression creasing with something akin to very vague familiarity as she drank it in. The curved, almost crescent moon shape with a protruding, splintered arrow flickered faintly but still, Layna approached. After what felt like a lifetime, a white-wrapped hand pressed to the wall where the projection moulded around it, undeterred by the disruption as long as BB-8 held firm.

" _Kay…."_ Layna swallowed, chilled and nearly speechless by the implication for both sides and processing where she sat in the middle. _"Right… So…. You guys weren't just a crash land? You were here on purpose?"_ Without dipping the projection, BB-8 sighed the positive. The alpha's gaze never left the bluey hue; she knew the symbol but not from any meetings, training seminars or general notice while in the Order's employment. It went further back, much further. And she knew exactly where she'd seen it before, to make matters worse.

However, before the tracking officer could formulate another singular thought on how the hell she was going to broach this, her com began to sing.

"Yes?"

" **Are you home?"** Layna started to pace at the probing drawl, physically separating herself from the wall and the symbol, turning her back on it.

"Yeah, just back now. The weather was bad." She glanced back, back at the thing that made her lie to her superiour officer; she didn't dare think he was anything more. "I was just about to com you to tell you I was home."

" **The pilot remains unconscious."** Sapphire eyes dropped to the droid who gave a nervous little fidget; it couldn't be about anything else. **"There will be no expeditions until he's been interrogated, I hope you understand."**

"Oh yeah, I get it. It's fine. Gotta do what you gotta do and all that."

" **Are you alright?"**

"Me? Yeah, no, I'm good. Just uhh…. Distracted."

" **Very well. I'll leave you to your distraction and if there is any further update, I will com you immediately."**

"Perfect." Layna chimed, trying not to sound as non-committal as she feared she was sounding. "That's perfect, make sure you do."

" **If there's no movement by morning, I might visit-"**

"Yeah, don't do that!" Internally and externally, she cringed and scolded herself for jumping in and sounding like there was something to hide; there was _plenty_ to hide. "We… might go on a hunt tomorrow." The static silence meant Ren waited, probably unconvinced, for an explanation. "Pack's bored." Not entirely untrue. "So we might go for a run and find something." Her eyes fell on the droid once more; they'd found something alright. "Something to kill. Like these guys do. You know."

" **I think you need to rest."** Ren offered sceptically from the com's receiver, teetering on ending the conversation for her. **"Like I said, I will update you the moment progress is made."**

"Sounds good." Layna tried not to voice the bite of relief but feared she'd failed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Night night."

"Well, that's it!" She exclaimed with a high note of hysteria; once the com had gone dead. "He knows! You!" The blonde rounded on Tyg, astonishment showing in his monstrous features. "Rest up! Tomorrow, we're going digging!"


End file.
